16. Olivia
CHAPTER 16
OLIVIA
THREE MONTHS LATER
“W hat would you say to going out on the yacht tonight?”
Olivia looked up from her computer. There was only one month left to go before their six-month probation — as she had come to think of it — would be up. They would be able to list the house in four short weeks, and Olivia had been working hard on the listing so that they would be able to post it the very day they were legally able to do so.
“Out on the yacht?” she repeated.
“I know you’ve wanted to go,” Charlie said. “We could go tonight, if you’d like to. I’m not doing anything, and I think you’ve done enough on the listing.”
“It isn’t finished.”
“Yeah, you say that,” he said. “But I think it probably is. I think you’re just driving yourself crazy by going over and over it when you really don’t need to. Come on, put your work down. We only have one more month together. We need to take advantage of it.”
Olivia’s stomach lurched at the reminder. He was right, of course, and the truth was that she had thrown herself into her work for exactly that reason. It was much easier to focus on the fact that they would be selling the house soon — that she would be coming into the money she had so looked forward to — than it was to think about the fact that her time with Charlie was coming to an end.
“Olivia,” he said quietly, “come out with me. I want us to do this.”
She nodded. “All right.”
He lit up. “Great! I’ve got everything ready.”
“You do?” She laughed. “What were you going to do if I said no?”
“You weren’t going to say no.”
“I guess women never say no to you, do they?”
“Not usually! But on the other hand, you’re not like the women I usually spend my time with.”
And there it was, on cue — the usual twist in her gut at the reminder that she wasn’t his type. He liked women who wanted to play around with him on his yacht and go their own way in the morning. He would never want anything to do with someone like her — someone who would always hold out for something serious.
She closed her computer. “Where’s the boat?”
“Out on the pier. We’ve got to drive to get there.”
“All right. Let’s go, then.”
They left the house. Charlie’s car was already running in the driveway. Olivia looked at him. “You were really that sure I was going to agree to this?”
“Well, I started the car on my app once you said yes,” he grinned, holding the phone up to show her. “But it does make me look confident, doesn’t it?”
Olivia couldn’t help laughing. “It does,” she admitted. “I can see how you get women to go out with you all the time.”
To her surprise, the smile on his face faded slightly. “You know, I never try to trick anyone,” he said. “I never want anyone to go out with me who doesn’t want to, and who doesn’t know exactly what she’s getting into.”
“I didn’t mean to imply anything negative,” Olivia said, eyebrows lifting. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“No, you didn’t.” He sighed. “It’s nothing to do with you at all, truth be told. Just something my sister said to me.”
“Your sister doesn’t think highly of you at all.”
“No, that’s true, she doesn’t.”
“Your whole family underestimates you. I think it’s a crime,” Olivia said. “I mean, I think you did it to yourself a little bit, from what you’ve told me — acting as if you were less than what you are during your teen years. You let them believe you were foolish and deviant. You’re not.”
Charlie chuckled. “I am, a little bit,” he said.
“No, Charlie.” She held firm. “You’re really not. You’re one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever known. You use that facade you’ve built for yourself as an excuse.”
“An excuse?”
They got into the car and she turned to face him directly as he backed out of the driveway. “I think you allow yourself to waste your time with women you don’t take seriously — women who don’t take you seriously — because you’ve decided that you aren’t a serious person. But I don’t think it’s the truth, Charlie. You deserve to take yourself seriously, and I guess… I guess I wish you would.”
She couldn’t believe she had actually said it. It was hard to draw breath for a moment, waiting to see how he would respond.
Charlie didn’t respond at all. He faced forward, staring out the windshield at the road ahead, as if she hadn’t spoken.
But that wasn’t the worst possible outcome, Olivia thought. It was clear that he had heard her, and that her words had had an impact. He hadn’t simply laughed off what she’d said, as he might have done in the past. Maybe he would sit with the idea. Maybe it would make a difference to him.
It was too much to hope for that he would look at her differently because of this. She wasn’t even sure if that was something she wanted. But maybe something would change. Maybe he wouldn’t continue wasting his life on one girl after another. Maybe he would see that he deserved something more.
That thought was like a dagger in her heart. She wanted the best for him. But did she really want him to find it with someone else?
She wasn’t sure.
They pulled up in front of the marina. Charlie cleared his throat. “That’s my boat,” he said, pointing.
It was fairly modest, though of course it was much bigger than anything Olivia herself could ever have dreamed of owning. It had two stories above the water, and she could see from the parking lot that there was a bar on the top deck. “It’s so nice.”
“I don’t take it out as much as I’d like to.”
“You know how to drive it?”
“Of course.” He grinned at her, and she knew that things were all right between the two of them again, in spite of her comment about his love life. “My siblings and I have all been driving boats like this since we were teenagers.”
“Is that even legal?”
He shrugged. “We were never caught,” he said. “Come on, let’s get going. We don’t want the food to go bad.”
“The food?”
“I had the staff of Amore bring over some food and load it onto the boat for us so that we could have dinner out on the water.”
“When did you do all this?”
“I made the arrangements earlier this afternoon.”
“And what were you going to do if I said no?” she asked again.
“Persuade you.”
“You think you can really just talk me into anything you want, don’t you?”
“I talked you into marrying me, Olivia. I don’t think talking you into dinner would be that hard. Besides, it worked, didn’t it? You can’t really argue with results.”
She groaned. “You are impossible sometimes, do you realize that?”
“It’s been said.” He flashed her his most charming grin, and Olivia couldn’t help melting a little, just as she always did when he acted like this. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out there.”
They boarded the boat. Charlie was busy for a while, starting the engine and unmooring from the dock, pulling out of the harbor and into the water. Olivia sat in the bow and looked out over the water. The sun was just beginning to set.
This is so romantic.
She tried to stifle the thought. He hadn’t brought her out here for romance. That wasn’t the point of the excursion, and she was only setting herself up for disappointment by viewing it through that lens.
But the sunset, the smell of the salty air, the sight of Charlie at the helm of the yacht, squinting against the sun, his biceps exposed… it was all more than Olivia could take, and she began to wonder whether coming out here with him might not have been a terrible mistake.
After about half an hour on the water, he dropped the anchor. “Come on downstairs,” he said. “That’s where we’ll eat.”
She followed him down to the lower deck. A table had been laid with a white cloth, and there were plates covered with silver lids. Charlie lit a pair of candles.
Olivia felt her breath catch. How could anyone not be transported by the romance of this moment?
He gestured to her to take her seat. “I wanted to do this to thank you,” he said. “All the work that’s gone into the house — not least the marriage itself — it all means a great deal to me, Olivia. I know the sacrifices you’ve made for this, and I’m very grateful.”
“I’m grateful to you too,” she told him. “This was a wonderful opportunity for me. I’m glad I had the chance to be a part of it.”
She was startled, suddenly, by the sound of an explosion. She whirled around in time to see bright color raining down from the sky.
“Fireworks,” she said unnecessarily. “Did you do that too?”
“No, that wasn’t me.” Charlie’s voice was filled with something like wonder. “That’s awesome.”
There was a momentary pause. Then Olivia felt Charlie’s warmth behind her, his arms encircling her waist.
And for once, she didn’t resist.
She allowed herself to be drawn back against him. She let her head rest against his shoulder. Another firework exploded, high above them, and she leaned into him to take it in.
“This is beautiful,” she murmured.
“I’m glad we were able to be out here together,” Charlie agreed. “I’m glad we have this time together.”
She heard the part he didn’t say. Now that our time is almost over .
It was a shadow that hung over every day they spent together — but right now, the feeling of his embrace and the shine of the fireworks seemed to chase that shadow away. Right now the only thing that mattered to Olivia was this moment, and Charlie’s arms.
As if she had planned it — though in fact she was acting entirely on impulse — she turned to face him. His hands remained locked behind her lower back. She gazed up into his eyes, seeing the reflection of the fireworks there.
“Charlie,” she murmured.
He looked down at her, searching.
I’m not going to pull away this time . Whatever happened, whatever tomorrow might bring, she was going to allow herself to have tonight. She would take advantage of it, and she would enjoy every moment.
Finally, at long last, she stood on her toes and closed the distance between them.
The feel of his lips on hers was like something out of a dream. She had been thinking about it, and trying to restrain herself from thinking about it, for so long that it should never have been able to live up to the idea in her mind.
But she was wrong.
It did live up.
It was better .
It was like being carried out to sea, like being swept away by a riptide, and Olivia no longer had the strength to fight it. She folded her body into his, reveling in the feel of his arms tightening around her.
Behind her, she heard the explosion of another firework, but it felt like it had been set off inside her very heart.
Wordlessly, Charlie broke the kiss, leaned over, and blew out the candles on the table. He took her hand and led her toward the center of the yacht, where Olivia knew the cabins were located.
Her blood raced and her heart pounded, and she understood at once where this was heading — what was about to happen.
She didn’t pull away.
He led her into a warm, bright cabin with a large bed in the middle. She looked down at it, then back up at him, aware of the fact that she was trembling despite the warmth of the night.
Charlie pulled her close and kissed her again, and Olivia allowed herself to be carried out to sea on the surge of passion that his touch had ignited within her, knowing that once she crossed this line, nothing would ever be the same.